Unbeaten Queens thriving in Bart Lundy’s second stint as school’s basketball coach

Things changed quite a bit at Queens during the 10 years coach Bart Lundy was away from the Royals’ basketball program.

When Lundy returned to Queens in 2013 after spending a decade working at Division I programs, the school had a new basketball arena in which to play. The Royals also were moving into a higher-profile conference.

But one thing was the same: Queens’ still had a strong basketball program, one that Lundy had played a critical role part in molding during his first tenure as the school’s coach from 1998-2003.

Now in his third season back, Lundy has kept the program moving in the right direction. Wednesday, the No. 8-ranked Royals (11-0, 5-0) play Catawba (6-6, 4-2) at 8 p.m. in a South Atlantic Conference game at the Levine Center.

“I learned that things are quite a bit different down here in Division II,” said Lundy, who left Queens in 2003 to become coach at Division I High Point. “The rules are different, the lifestyle is a little different. But it’s something I’m happy to be part of again.”

Awaiting Lundy (who succeeded Wes Long, now an assistant at Virginia Commonwealth), was the new arena, which opened in 2013 after decades in tiny, outdated Ovens Athletic Center. The school’s move to the South Atlantic that year meant Queens would be included in a league with schools it felt were more similar in academic and athletic philosophy than what it had in Conference Carolinas.

“The new building has really made a huge difference for us,” said Lundy. “It’s really helped us raise our profile. And this league is really competitive. It’s been great for us.”

Lundy also figured out something else in Division I, where he also spent time as Marquette’s director of basketball of operations and an assistant at North Texas: The talent is better up there. So several Division I transfers dot Queens’ roster.

Chief among them are senior guard Rob Lewis (Houston Baptist), who averages 19.5 points, and senior guard Marquis Rankin, a Vance High product who transferred from Virginia Tech. Then there’s guard/forward Daniel Camps (Northern Kentucky) and guard Jacoby Davis, a former West Charlotte High star who transferred from Mississippi State.

The Royals’ leading scorer, however, is another Division II product. Senior forward Sean Morgan transferred from Paine (Ga.) and averages 19.7 points.

Morgan is 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds. Lundy said Morgan dropped more than 35 pounds recently and has become a much more effective player.

“He was 300 pounds when we got him here,” said Lundy. “He’s really worked on his conditioning and changed his diet. He’s a big boy who runs the floor and has great hands.”

Queens faces three consecutive tough games. After Catawba , the Royals travel to 11^th-ranked Lincoln Memorial (10-2, 6-0) on Saturday and then return home to face Lenoir-Rhyne (9-2, 4-2) Jan. 13.

“We’re happy to be 11-0,” said Lundy, who took Queens to Division II’s Final Four in 2003. “But I don’t think Catawba, Lincoln Memorial and Lenoir-Rhyne care about that too much.”

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Unbeaten Queens thriving in Bart Lundy’s second stint as school’s basketball coach."